Senior Design Validation Engineer, Intelligence Systems

Reston · Reston, VA (NOVA-01) · USD 146,000-194,000 · 7+ years experience · Posted Oct 8, 2026

At a glance

We are looking for a Senior Design Validation Engineer to join our rapidly growing team in Reston, Virginia.
In this role, you will take custom hardware designs from our electrical engineering teams and own the validation effort end-to-end — planning the validation campaign, designing and building custom hardware test fixtures, creating test scripts, selecting the right electronic test equipment, identifying the applicable electrical standards, and executing validation activities in a hardware lab to prove our designs meet their requirements before they ship.

Partner with cross-functional hardware, firmware, FPGA, and systems teams to plan and execute validation of custom hardware designs
Develop validation plans that map design requirements to specific tests, pass/fail criteria, and applicable electrical standards
Design and build custom hardware fixtures and write the accompanying software/firmware needed to exercise designs under test
Identify, specify, and configure electronic test equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum/network analyzers, power analyzers, environmental chambers, etc.) for each validation campaign
Execute design verification and qualification activities in a hardware lab — high-speed digital, precision analog, RF, and high-power domains
Drive root cause analysis on validation failures and close the loop with design teams on corrective action
Participate in peer-level and cross-discipline design reviews, representing testability and validation considerations
Document validation results and author reports that support program milestones and customer deliverables
Work in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple concurrent validation efforts across projects and customers

Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
7+ years of professional experience in hardware design validation, test engineering, or hardware product development with substantial validation responsibility
Demonstrated experience authoring and executing design validation plans (DVPs) against written requirements
Hands-on proficiency with electronic test equipment — oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum/network analyzers, power supplies/loads, and data acquisition systems
Ability to read and interpret schematics and PCB layouts and use them to plan targeted validation coverage
Experience developing custom hardware test fixtures and the supporting software/firmware (Python, C/C++, or equivalent) to automate measurements
Familiarity with standard interfaces such as Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI, PCIe, USB, etc., and the tooling used to validate them
Familiarity with common MCU, CPU, and FPGA devices and how to bring them up and exercise them on the bench
Knowledge of modern analog and digital electronics and the failure modes that validation needs to catch
Ability to determine work priorities based on broad direction from management

Experience validating designs with high volume production requirements
Experience executing qualification test campaigns to MIL-STD-810 (environmental) and familiarity with the test methods involved
Experience executing EMI/EMC test campaigns to MIL-STD-461 and working with accredited EMC labs
Experience with signal integrity and power integrity validation (eye diagrams, jitter analysis, PDN measurements)
Experience with test automation frameworks and instrument control (SCPI, VISA, python based test frameworks)
Experience validating designs intended for harsh or deployed environments (ruggedized, airborne, or space)

Top-tier benefits for full-time employees supporting health, recovery, and whatever comes next
Highly competitive equity grants included in the majority of full time offers

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